Scott Linden Outdoors

When he’s hot, restraint is what keeps him in the water.

Puppies grow by leaps and bounds – physically, yes, but also mentally. We see it easily enough: legs outpacing body length, ears growing faster than everything else put together. If we are observant we see it in a pup’s behavior. too.

In Flick’s case, it is about what Rick and Ronnie Smith call a willingness to be restrained. And yielding to that is the key to so many other milestones. It starts on the chain gang, accepting the fact that the collar is in charge. From the collar comes the lead and checkcord, heeling, going with you. Only when the pup “gives in,” do good things happen.

The Monks of New Skete don’t use the same terms, nor methods, but their goal is the same: a puppy must learn that he is not always in charge of his movements. Holding a squirming, high-drive dog like Flick is an off-the-charts challenge but teaching it now pays dividends over his lifetime. Example: nail trims four weeks ago were an epic battle with Flick pulling, mouthing, and objecting verbally to every toe’s seeming amputation. A few extra weeks of practice at being still when held, and all 16 toes got a calm, quiet trim.

Now, on to a bath.